Edens Lost and Found

New Episodes Air in January 2007
The ground breaking documentary series, “Edens Lost and Found,” will begin airing two new episodes nationwide this month on PBS. The episodes spotlight green trends in Seattle and Los Angeles, as both cities reinvent themselves for a more sustainable future. (You may recall that ACT members saw a sneak preview of the Los Angeles episode at our national conference in September in Pasadena.)

Edens Lost is a great tool for educating your city decision makers and thought leaders about the enormous potential for green infrastructure in your city. People talk to people – let Edens Lost help you tell your story to spur green investments in your community. Books, DVDs, curricular materials and other resources are available.
The documentary can also help ACT members spread their message to the masses. Community-based activists have the power to amplify the impact of Edens Lost and Found by encouraging local stations to air the episodes and by publicizing the broadcast. Local tree groups can also host a screening of Edens Lost and Found at any time as a fundraising event, selling books, DVD’s and publicizing the cause.
The producers of the documentary write, “IMAGINE: A new year in which we put our feet on the road to sustainable use of resources, to restoration of brownfields, to peaceful and just communities, and to creative networks of citizens who are dedicated to being part of the solution.”20 ways you can celebrate Edens in the new year:1. Check your local PBS listings at www.pbs.org, and if you don’t find your local station listed, call and encourage them to carry the programs. Ask others to make calls, also.
2. If your local PBS affiliate does have Edens on the schedule (generally Seattle is Jan. 4 and Los Angeles is Jan. 11), please spread the word and encourage others to tune in and watch! Many stations will air the episode in several time slots over several weeks.
3. Got a newsletter or e-mail alert for your group? Please pass the word about these broadcasts to your members. Ask each member to call five other people and share the air time information.
4. Put a link to Edens on your website. Mention the broadcast dates.
5. Write an entry in your blog about how Edens is pointing the way to a greener future. Link to Edens website and mention the broadcast dates for your area.
6. Have a pre-broadcast party for your neighbors and friends or organization members; watch the programs together.
7. City Hall needs to know about Edens; there is a great deal of material in our series and companion book about wastewater, urban forestry, parks and greenspace, public safety, and the power of volunteers to accomplish community goals.
8. Outreach Example: The Pickerel-Crooked Lakes Association presented a copy of Edens’ companion book to their county planning department and encouraged them all to watch the January broadcast segments.
9. Got a Sierra Club? An Audubon Society? A Conservancy? Watershed Council? Other groups with environmental and/or urban society interests? Let them know about Edens and the broadcast dates! Get some synergy going!
10. Are you in a book club? Encourage them to read Edens Lost & Found as a non-fiction selection.
11. Ask your community college or library to host a lecture series that focuses on issues illuminated in Edens Lost & Found.
12. Right now while publicity is high for the January broadcasts, it’s the perfect time for your organization to sell the companion book as a fundraiser. Bulk rates are available from the publisher: Contact Allison Lennox at 802-299-2456 for information.
13. Alert your bookstores about the broadcast and let them know it’s a good time to promote the companion book
14. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Talk about the importance of community involvement in directing the future, and mention the Edens broadcast dates as a way for people to see the power of positive action. ( Let your bookstores know you are writing the letter! Cross-pollination helps produce a good harvest!)
15. Developers are hearing a lot these days about the economic and environmental returns of green design and construction. Contact your local Home Builder’s Association, Chamber of Commerce, or individual developers to make sure they’re in the loop. Tell them about the broadcast!
16. Write to your politicians! You can download and print the Edens brochure to include as background with your letter.
17. Edens contains fabulous material to use in the classroom, either as lively discussion topics, ideas for service learning, or research projects. Download the free online teacher’s guide and get it to your school before the broadcasts are seen locally.
18. Purchase the set of four DVD’s, the companion book, and the curriculum for your school’s science and social studies classes.
19. Many churches are talking about today’s world with the understanding that “the garden of Eden” was a gift and mankind was called to take care of it. Encourage your church to study the Old Testament mandate, compare it with New Testament parables, and bring in Edens Lost & Found to illustrate the importance of sustainable living as acceptance of personal responsibility.
20. Watch Edens with your family and afterwards, make a list of things you can do in your own home to take better care of your environment. For starters, here are some great suggestions.
For more information, visit Edens Lost and Found.